Chapter 89
“…What?”
Me, fond of betting?
As I wondered what he meant, I suddenly remembered. It was when I falsely claimed Oscar was his Guide.
I had proposed a bet to him: if he managed to kiss Oscar, my head would be crushed, and if he failed, he would stop tormenting me.
“But why would I…”
“You can’t stand being by my side, and I can’t let you go easily. It seems we’re at an impasse, so how about we settle this with a bet again?”
“…”
“If this damned guiding meter shows you have a higher compatibility with another Esper than me, then you’re free to go to them, whoever they may be.”
That statement was somewhat surprising.
It’s true that Claude is the only person I’ve ever guided. But there were thousands of Espers in the Esper Division. Logically, wouldn’t there be at least one Esper with a better compatibility than Claude?
“Really?”
“But in all other cases, I win.”
What other cases could there be? The only situation where he could win is if among the thousands of Espers, he’s the one I’m most compatible with, which is just one possibility.
Confused by the seemingly favorable conditions…
“If I win, I will imprint on you.”
“…What?”
He grabbed my arms and pulled me closer, then suddenly leaned in.
Regardless of whether I recoiled or not, he began whispering in my ear…
What he whispered was… a goosebump-inducing warning about how exactly he would imprint on me…
With even more explicit descriptions and lewd remarks than what I had heard before…
…This is insane.
I was saved from the color draining from my face by the Security Chief.
“Claude, step away from her immediately.”
The Security Chief, who had quickly approached where we were almost embracing each other, reached out, apparently trying to separate us by grabbing Claude’s arm.
But with Claude’s severe aversion to physical contact, there’s no way he would calmly let his arm be grabbed.
Already on edge, his eyes flared with anger, and then…
Snap!
“…Ghk!”
The Security Chief was struck down by an unseen force before his hand even brushed the edge of Claude’s uniform.
“…How dare you.”
“…Lo, rd C, Claude!”
The impact was so severe, it sounded almost like a bone had broken. The Security Chief, clearly in considerable pain, forced himself to speak.
“I know I can’t beat you, Lord Claude. But there are many watching. No matter who you are, if you continue to act unilaterally and cause trouble, I will confront you in the name of our Security Force’s honor.”
“…”
“You’re not planning to resolve this with violence in this confined space, are you?”
The Security Chief warned with a tense face.
He wasn’t wrong. This isn’t an Esper training ground; it’s just a Guiding Examination Room. It’s definitely not a space that could withstand a collision between high-level Espers using their abilities.
Finally, grinding his teeth, Claude released me and turned away.
…But he didn’t go far.
He casually dragged a chair from somewhere and firmly planted himself down, taking the front-row seat closest to my examination, a mere two steps away from me.
“…”
He seemed completely indifferent to the whispers and murmurs of the many onlookers behind him.
His focus was solely on me.
As soon as he sat down, he fixed his gaze on me, glaring intensely.
As if he wanted to carve me up and turn me into a steak.
I meekly looked down…
“Miss Valentine, could you please place your hand here?”
The examiner, too terrified to even glance at Claude’s fearsome face, hesitantly pointed again at the sphere on the table.
I took a deep breath.
It’s okay. There are thousands of Espers in the Center.
Until now, I’ve only guided one person, Claude. Surely, he can’t be the Esper I’m most compatible with, right?
Statistically, this bet was in my favor.
I extended my trembling hand towards the sphere.
The room, filled with dozens of people, fell silent in that moment.
Everyone might have heard the rumors of him carrying me around like a keychain, but they wouldn’t have thought it was because I was an unregistered Guide. After all, clerks undergo mandatory trait testing before joining the Center.
But now, with Claude openly showing such obsession with me in front of everyone, it seemed likely they were starting to believe I might indeed be the Guide he’d been searching for.
And the much-anticipated result was…
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Aelthia